A few weeks back I took aim at a minority of supporters who were giving a bad name to their fellow supporters with their irresponsible actions. This week I will give praise to those who have made it an enjoyable experience for both myself and my fellow supporters.
After four years of supporting the Melbourne Victory and barely a missing game, I thought this year would be an opportune time to lend my voice to what, in my very unbiased opinion, is the best support in the country. I had developed a taste for active support a couple of seasons ago on a particularly memorable Sydney away trip but only worked up the courage to actually join in over a season later.
Whilst a massive fan of what the Northern Terrace has to offer and being somewhat of a newbie to the whole active supporting thing, I thought I would give the South End a shot, being that it has a much more relaxed atmosphere. Also it had the added bonus of having an excellent view of those in the Northern Terrace.
Now as the regular season draws to an exciting close, I have to admit that for the most part I have thoroughly enjoyed my first season in the South End. I have even managed to join a "crew", who happen to describe themselves as Melbourne Victory's unlikeliest crew.
Of course the best part of being in the South End is the singing/chanting/yelling of songs/chants/insults. For the most part I join in as much as possible but sometimes the action on the field diverts my attention or just participate if the chant is overtly sexist or just plain wrong.
My particular favourite is obviously the "Carlos Hernandez" chant, sung/yelled/shouted whenever he scores/nearly scores/takes a free kick because it's usually the one of the ones where everybody joins in. Another favourite is "Ernie Merrick's Blue and White Army", especially when it is done properly, which happens to be a rarity in my opinion. And yes I know it's not particularly original.
Being in the South End also means we are closest to the opposition fans and I must say this weekend's effort from the Perth Glory fans, despite the result, was one of the better ones of the season. At one stage I thought they were probably wishing that they hadn't brought the bell along as during the first half it seemed that every time it was put to use, Melbourne seemed to score shortly thereafter.
Being amongst the active supporters does have its drawbacks, especially when a goal is scored. There is the possibility of copping a swinging scarf to the head or getting a beer shower as someone exuberantly celebrates but despite that, more often than not, it's a bunch of guys and girls having a good time. Going on this season's experience, I will definitely be back for more come the Asian Champions League and next season.
Finally and on a slightly different note, how good was Melbourne's third goal on Saturday night?
